Marvel Rivals admits that it accidentally banned some players for trying to run the game in a different operating system, which isn't cheating

(Image credit: Netease)

Marvel Rivals community manager announced this morning that it has accidentally flagged a whole load of innocent players as cheaters and, as a result, banned their accounts all because of a mix-up in operating systems.

"Recently, we've received feedback from players regarding an issue where some individuals playing in compatibility layer programs have been mistakenly flagged as cheaters, even without using any cheating software," the community manager, who goes by James, says in a post on the game's public Discord. "This has resulted in bans. We sincerely apologise for this situation and want to assure you that we do not and will not ban players who are playing fairly and without cheating."

These compatibility layer programs allow players to play games that aren't typically compatible with their operating system. It's hardly even close to cheating, but NetEase's system muddled it up nevertheless.

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Luckily, the community manager does confirm that this issue has been identified, so players shouldn't wrongfully experience any more bans for using compatibility layer programs. "We have identified the specific reasons behind these false bans and have compiled a list of affected players," James says. "We have lifted these bans and want to express our heartfelt apologies for the inconvenience this has caused."

But if you think you're one of the players who was wrongfully accused of cheating and banned, and you haven't got your account back, then NetEase suggests that you appeal the ban via its customer support team. Just make sure you're not fibbing, though, because while NetEase is restoring accounts for some banned players, it doesn't mean it's going to go easy on actual cheaters.

"Our mission is to provide all players with a fair, just, and enjoyable gaming environment," James says. "Therefore, preventing and identifying cheaters is one of our top priorities. We have invested significant manpower and resources to improve the speed and accuracy of our detection systems. But with any ongoing detection system, there is always room for improvement."

To be fair, I have had almost no interactions with cheaters while playing Marvel Rivals. That's not to say that they don't exist or that it won't get worse as time goes on, but for now, it seems like the cheating detection system is doing an alright job. Aside from this recent incident, obviously.

Elie is a news writer with an unhealthy love of horror games—even though their greatest fear is being chased. When they're not screaming or hiding, there's a good chance you'll find them testing their metal in metroidvanias or just admiring their Pokemon TCG collection. Elie has previously worked at TechRadar Gaming as a staff writer and studied at JOMEC in International Journalism and Documentaries – spending their free time filming short docs about Smash Bros. or any indie game that crossed their path.